Music Support Course Descriptions Undergraduate The following courses will satisfy the music support requirement for undergraduate students. Any undergraduate may take a graduate level music support course to fulfill this requirement with the permission of the instructor. Analysis courses Other courses 20TH-21ST CENTURY TECHNIQUES (57-258) 6 units Reza Vali This course is open to all music majors and required for sophomore composition majors. The most important techniques from Debussy to the present will be reviewed in terms of melody, harmony, and form. Tonality, serialism, and aleatoric devices will be studied. Compositional techniques of the 20th Century are put into perspective and compared with other developments in the arts. The class is conducted as an open forum in which discussions are encouraged. ADVANCED SEMINAR IN FILM MUSICOLOGY (57-427) 9 units Franco Sciannameo This course has been designed primarily for advanced students wishing to apply to film scores analytical methodologies pertaining to historical musicology, cultural studies, and genetic criticism. The films screened and the music analyzed in this course follow at first the historical development of cinema. Then, the syllabus focuses on the film music of Ennio Morricone in honor of his 90th birthday and on final presentations of film soundtracks selected by the students. Prerequisites include some knowledge of music history, theory, practice, or the instructor's permission. AURAL ANALYSIS AND BASIC IMPROVISATION (57-461) 9 units John Ito Where are we now? Musicians often face analytical questions in performing situations. What scale degree is the trumpet playing? What chord are we playing now? What countermelody are the altos singing? What is the form, and where are we in it? The purpose of this course is to enhance students' abilities to answer these kinds of questions in real-time, real-world performance situations, apart from the score. The primary skills developed in the course will be hearing melodic scale degrees, hearing harmonies, memorizing short melodic fragments, identifying short harmonic idioms by ear, hearing two-voice contrapuntal music, and improvising over repeated chord progressions. A variety of conventional and unconventional games and exercises will be employed, involving notating, singing, and using the students' main instruments. We will also put these skills to use in doing larger-scale analysis by ear of longer passages, focusing especially on form, including entire movements. Improvisation comes into the course because perception and production are deeply intertwined; fun improvisation exercises, mostly using the idioms of popular music, will strengthen aural abilities much more than passive identification and dictation exercises could alone. THE BEATLES (57-209) 9 units Stephen Schultz This course will focus on the phenomenon of the Beatles. Their songs will be studied, with analysis of the musical and lyrical content and structural elements. What musical styles do the songs address? What were their musical influences? In what ways did their music change over the years? Also, the music's social context will be studied. Why were the Beatles so popular and influential? What exactly caused Beatlemania? How did the group form, grow, and end? The Beatles are the most famous rock group in history; the reasons for this are as much cultural as musical, and we'll study the two elements simultaneously. Open to all undergraduate students. CONCERTO: VIRTUOSITY AND CONTRAST (57-405) 9 units Franco Sciannameo The Concerto, one of the most popular forms of music, is also a dramatic form, a drama of contrast between the strength of one body of sound and another (volume), between one type of sound and another (tonal distinction), between the individual and the masses, and finally, between the "Solo" virtuoso and the less gifted "Tutti" players. The goal of this course is to examine the greatest concerti written for all instruments; from Vivaldi's "Concerto for Two Mandolins" to John Adams's "Grand Pianola Music," and much more, while dealing with the social and personal histories of unforgettable virtuosi and the concerti that became their "Battle Horses." The program analyzes great concerti performed by the world's greatest soloists and orchestras. COUNTERPOINT IN 18TH CENTURY COMPOSITION (57-445) 6 units James Whipple In this course the student will study how to write two-part counterpoint within the harmonic framework of 18th-century instrumental music. The focus of study will be J.S. Bach's inventions, and writing will be directed towards composing several complete inventions in that style. Prerequisites: Harmony I and Harmony II or permission of the instructor. This course is designed for composers, theory minors, Bach lovers, keyboard majors, and anyone who wants to seriously sharpen their tonal writing skills. HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICAN MUSIC (57-480) 6 units Kenneth Keeling Come and explore the rich musical heritage of Black America. This course will survey the music of Black America beginning with the African legacy and continuing through the music of the Twentieth Century. Class sessions will involve discussions, listening, viewing of films, and reports by students on topics of individual interest. Discussions will involve, historical, cultural and political perspective, as well as the music and composers themselves. Lecturing will be at a minimum. Innovative testing in quiz show format will be used. No prerequisites required. Open to all upper level undergraduate students. Graduate students can register for (57-780) Black American Music Seminar. HISTORY OF THE SYMPHONY (57-485) 9 units Alexa Woloshyn Course Description Pending HOW MUSIC WORKS: AN AFFECTIVE HISTORY (57-476) 6 units Paul Johnston This is an historical survey of (a) aesthetic theories about music and human agency-- music's affects and effects, thus its significance and even its very existence--and of (b) actual utilizations of music. Theories range from Aristotle's catharsis to trauma theory and neuromusicology in our time. The applications range from the biblical David's therapeutic harp playing in the court of King Saul (11th C. BCE) to U.S. interrogators in Iraq (21st C. CE); from Vodun and exorcisms in other cultures to MUZAK in our own. MUSIC OF THE SPIRIT (57-477) 6 units Paul Johnston This guided listening course is a musical exploration of spirituality, a musicological and ethnomusicological survey organized around comparative religions. While the majority of repertoire will be from the Western Classical tradition, musics of a variety of cultures will be included. The music will be organized by particular religious traditions and by universal themes, such as community, death/afterlife, birth/new birth, martyrs/heroes, transcendence/immanence, meditation/contemplation/trance, etc. Most course materials, including streaming audio, are online, with one meeting per week in the classroom. Will include participatory introductions to numerous forms of chant. Requires oral and written reports. No prerequisites. PRINCIPLES OF COUNTERPOINT (57-444) 9 units James Whipple This course explores the development of Western music composed with multiple independent parts. The first half of the course traces the history of part-writing from medieval organum to the twenty-first century. Emphasis is given to study of pre-Baroque and twentieth-century music, and to the conceptual shifts that occurred moving in and out of the common-practice period. The second half of the course examines, across multiple musical styles, specific contrapuntal techniques such as imitation and ground bass forms. Assignments include both writing exercises and analysis, culminating in a term project on a topic selected by the student. PUCCINI’S OPERAS (57-409) 9 units Franco Sciannameo Standing between the 19th and 20th Centuries, Puccini witnessed extraordinary socio- political and cultural shifts sweeping across Europe. His operas reflect such changes through their gradual stylistic adherence to modernity. From theatrical and literary plots to complex relationships with poets, publishers, impresarios, singers, conductors, and political censors, Puccini's operas offer excellent grounds for interdisciplinary dialogue and cultural analysis. RENAISSANCE COUNTERPOINT (57-446) 6 units James Whipple In this course the student will study how to write vocal counterpoint using the classic "species" approach, based on the style of Renaissance masters Palestrina, Lassus, and Victoria. The latter part of the course will extend the study to instrumental music of the 16th century, and explore the development of chromaticism in avant-garde composers of the time. Reading about and listening to Renaissance music and composers will be included as background context for the theory work. Daily writing exercises in the first part of the course will lead to a term project producing a performable piece of music by the end of the semester. This course is designed for composers (both for writing technique and college teaching preparation), theory minors, early music lovers, choral singers and conductors, church musicians, and anyone who wants to sharpen their writing skills. Prerequisite: Harmony I or permission of the instructor (demonstrated competence in reading treble and bass clef, and intervals). SCORE READING/KEYBOARD HARMONY (57-459) 6 units Mark Carver This course is a practical, hands-on learning experience. Students learn by doing and observing other students. All work is done at the keyboard. It is for graduate